Born and brought up in Belfast, Best began his club career in England with Manchester United, with the scout who had spotted his talent at the age of 15 sending a telegram to manager Matt Busby which read: "I think I've found you a genius."[3] After making his debut aged 17, he scored 179 goals from 470 appearances over 11 years, and was the club's top goalscorer in the league for five consecutive seasons.[4]

Regarded as one of the greatest dribblers in the history of the sport, his playing style combined pace, skill, balance, feints, two-footedness, goalscoring and the ability to beat defenders.[5][6][7] Best unexpectedly quit United in 1974 at age 27, but returned to football for a number of clubs around the world in short spells, until retiring in 1984, age 37; in international football, he was capped 37 times and scored nine goals between 1964 and 1977, although a combination of the team's performance and his lack of fitness in 1982 meant that he never played in the finals of a European Championship or World Cup.

Best was one of the first celebrity footballers, earning the nickname "El Beatle" in 1966,[8] but his subsequent extravagant lifestyle led to various problems, most notably alcoholism, which he suffered from for the rest of his life. These issues affected him on and off the field, at times causing controversy,[9] he said of his career: "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds [women] and fast cars – the rest I just squandered".[10] After football, he spent some time as a football analyst, but his financial and health problems continued into his retirement,[9] he died in 2005, age 59, due to complications from the immunosuppressive drugs he needed to take after a liver transplant in 2002.[11] He continued drinking after the transplant.[12] Best was married twice, to two former models, Angie Best and then Alex Best, his son Calum Best was born in 1981 from his first marriage.

George Best was the first child of Richard "Dickie" Best (1919–2008) and Anne Best (née Withers; 1922–1978). He was born on 22 May 1946 and grew up in Cregagh, east Belfast. Best was brought up in the Free Presbyterian faith,[15] his father was a member of the Orange Order and as a boy George carried the strings of the banner in his local Cregagh lodge. In his autobiography, Best mentioned how important the order was to his family.[16] Best had four sisters, Carol, Barbara, Julie and Grace, and one brother, Ian (Ian Busby Best). Best's father died on 16 April 2008, at the age of 88, in the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald, Northern Ireland.[17] Best's mother Anne died from alcoholism-related cardiovascular disease[18] in 1978, at the age of 55.

In 1957, the academically gifted Best passed the 11-plus and went to Grosvenor High School, but he soon played truant as the school specialised in rugby. Best then moved to Lisnasharragh Secondary School, reuniting him with friends from primary school and allowing him to focus on football, he grew up supporting Glentoran and Wolverhampton Wanderers.[19]

At the age of 15, Best was discovered in Belfast by Manchester United scout Bob Bishop, whose telegram to United manager Matt Busby read: "I think I've found you a genius."[3][20] His local club Glentoran had previously rejected him for being "too small and light".[21] Best was subsequently given a trial and signed up by United's chief scout Joe Armstrong, his first time moving to the club, Best quickly became homesick and stayed for only two days before going back home to Northern Ireland.[22] He returned to Manchester and spent two years as an amateur, as English clubs were not allowed to take Northern Irish players on as apprentices, he was given a job as an errand boy on the Manchester Ship Canal, allowing him to train with the club twice a week.[23]

Though opponents would often use rough play to try to stifle his technical ability, Busby ensured that "fierce, sometimes brutal" training sessions left Best well used to coping with tough challenges;[26] in the 1964–65 season, his first full season as a first team regular, Best helped Manchester United to claim the league title.[27] A 1–0 victory at Elland Road proved decisive as the title race came down to goal average between the "Red Devils" and bitter rivalsLeeds United; Leeds did manage to gain some measure of revenge though by knocking Manchester United out of the FA Cup at the semi-final stage.[27] Over the course of the campaign Best contributed 14 goals in 59 competitive games,[27] he scored the opening goal of the 1965 FA Charity Shield at Old Trafford, which ended in a 2–2 draw with Liverpool.[28]

The rising star of English football, Best was catapulted to superstar status at the age of 19 when he scored two goals in a European Cup quarter-final match against Benfica at the Estádio da Luz on 9 March 1966.[8] The Portuguese media dubbed him "O Quinto Beatle", "the fifth Beatle" in English, and on the team's return to England Best was photographed in his new sombrero with the headline, "El Beatle".[8] His talent and showmanship made him a crowd and media favourite, and he went from being headline news in the back pages to the front pages.[8] Other nicknames included the "Belfast Boy", and he was often referred to as Georgie, or Geordie in his native Belfast,[29] however United failed to win any major honours in the 1965–66 season, and Best was injured from 26 March onwards with a twisted knee following a bad tackle from a Preston North End player.[30] However United staff claimed it was light ligament damage so as to keep Best on the field for the rest of the campaign,[30] he had little faith in the United medical staff, and so he secretly saw Glentoran's physiotherapist, who readjusted his ligaments in a painful procedure.[31] His last game of the season, his knee strapped-up, came on 13 April, and ended in a 2–0 defeat to Partizan Belgrade at Partizan Stadium.[32]

The 1966–67 season was again successful, as Manchester United claimed the league title by four points. Best stated that "if the championship was decided on home games we would win it every season, this time our away games made the difference. We got into the right frame of mind."[33] An ever-present all season long, he scored ten goals in 45 games, he then helped the "Red Devils" to share the Charity Shield with a 3–3 draw with FA Cup winners Tottenham Hotspur; it was the first game to be broadcast in colour on British television.[34]

Best scored twice against rivalsLiverpool in a 2–0 win at Anfield, and also claimed a hat-trick over Newcastle United in a 6–0 home win on the penultimate league game of the season. However a home defeat to hated local rivalsManchester City proved costly, as City claimed the league title with a two-point lead over United. Yet the 1967–68 season would be remembered by United fans for the European Cup win, after disposing of MalteseHibernians, United advanced past Yugoslavian Sarajevo with a 2–1 home win – Best assisted John Aston for the first and scored the second himself, and was described as Geoffrey Green of The Times as "the centrepiece of the chessboard ... a player full of fantasy; a player who lent magic to what might have been whimsy".[35] In the quarter-finals United advanced past Polish club Górnik Zabrze 2–1 on aggregate, having held on to their aggregate lead in freezing temperatures in front of 105,000 at Silesian Stadium; despite losing the away tie 1–0, Best described the defeat as "one of our best-ever performances, given all the unwelcome circumstances".[36] Facing six times champions Real Madrid in the semi-finals, Best scored the only goal of the home fixture with a 15-yard strike that Alex Stepney described as one of Best's finest goals;[37] in the tie at the Bernabéu, Best was marked effectively by Manuel Sanchís Martínez, but on the one time Best got the better of him he made a telling cross to Bill Foulkes, who calmly found the net to level the game at 3–3 and to win the aggregate tie 4–3.[38]

Days after returning to England, as the First Division's joint top-scorer (level on 28 goals with Southampton's Ron Davies) Best was presented with the FWA Footballer of the Year award, becoming the youngest ever recipient of the award.[39] Facing United in the European Cup Final at Wembley were Benfica; whilst his teammates rested, Best found "a novel way to relax" before the big game by sleeping with "a particular young lady called Sue".[40] The game went into extra-time, and just three minutes into extra-time Best went on a mazy run and beat goalkeeper José Henrique with a dummy, before rolling the ball into the net; two further goals from Brian Kidd and Bobby Charlton settled the tie at 4–1.[41] The victory was not only the pinnacle of Best's career, but arguably Manchester United's greatest achievement, considering the Munich air disaster had wiped out most of the Busby Babes just ten years previously.[42] Best also won the Ballon d'Or in 1968 after receiving more votes than Bobby Charlton, Dragan Džajić and Franz Beckenbauer. This meant that he had won the three major honours in club football at the age of just 22 (the league title, European Cup, and European Player of the Year award), after this, his steady decline began.

"It seems impossible to hurt him. All manner of men have tried to intimidate him. Best merely glides along, riding tackles and brushing giants aside like leaves."

The 'holy trinity' of Best, Law and Charlton remained effective as ever in the 1968–69 campaign. However the club's new recruits were not up to scratch, as United dropped to 11th in the league before Busby announced his retirement. Best later said that "I increasingly had the feeling that I was carrying the team at times on the pitch."[44] He scored 22 goals in 55 games, though only he and Denis Law scored more than six league goals; in the Intercontinental Cup, fans and players alike looked forward to seeing United take on Argentine opposition Estudiantes de La Plata over the course of two legs. However Best said "no one tackled harder or dirtier than this Argentinian team" as a 1–0 defeat at the Estadio Camilo Cichero was followed by a 1–1 draw at Old Trafford;[45] in the home tie, Best was kicked and spat on by José Hugo Medina, and both players were sent off after Best reacted with a punch.[46] Despite their poor league form, United managed to reach the semi-finals of the European Cup (they had a relatively easy run in getting past the Republic of Ireland's Waterford United, Belgium's Anderlecht, and Austria's Rapid Wien) where they were knocked out 2–1 on aggregate by A.C. Milan following a 2–0 defeat at the San Siro; Milan goalkeeper Fabio Cudicini was the hero after keeping United to only one goal at Old Trafford.[47]

"It's been a joke on the circuit ever since. You know, I'm on one side of the street, George Best is on the other, he nods to me and I dive under a bus."

— Northampton goalkeeper Kim Book laughs about the jibes he has faced since being fooled by Best's feint in the 1970 FA Cup game against Manchester United.[48]

Best's sixth goal saw him go one on one with Northampton goalkeeper Kim Book. Best made a feint to go right which put Book on his backside, before he went left and walked the ball into the net.[50] Of the goal Book said: "I remember thinking George was going to go one way, but he dropped his shoulder and went the other, and by then I was already on the deck, he was just too good for me."[50] Best's six goal performance earned him an invitation to No 10 Downing Street from UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson, who had also regularly written fan letters to him;[48] in 2002 the British public voted Best's record breaking performance #26 in the list of the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments.[51]

Busby returned as manager in December 1970, though the 1970–71 season also ended without a trophy. Best began to get into trouble with his discipline: he was fined by the Football Association for receiving three bookings for misconduct, and he was suspended by United for two weeks after missing his train to Stamford Bridge so as to spend a weekend with actress Sinéad Cusack.[52]

New manager Frank O'Farrell led United to an eighth-place finish in 1971–72. Highlights for Best included hat-tricks against West Ham United and Southampton, as well as a goal against Sheffield United that came after he beat four defenders in a mazy run.[53] However, he was also sent off against Chelsea, was the subject of death threats, and failed to turn up for training for a whole week in January as he instead spent his time with Miss Great Britain 1971, Carolyn Moore,[53] on 17 November, he was the subject of Eamonn Andrews's This Is Your Life[53] when he was surprised at a central London restaurant. He would be the subject for a second time in 2003 when Michael Aspel surprised him at Teddington Studios, with 27 goals in 54 appearances, Best finished as the club's top-scorer for the sixth – and final – consecutive season. Best then announced his retirement from football, but nevertheless turned up for pre-season training, and continued to play.[54]

United's decline continued in the 1972–73 season, as Best was part of the 'old guard clique' that barely talked to the newer, less talented players.[55] Frustrated with the club's decline, Best went missing in December to party at the London nightclubs,[56] he was suspended, and transfer-listed at a value of £300,000.[57] After O'Farrell was replaced as manager by Tommy Docherty, Best announced his retirement for a second time,[58] he resumed training on 27 April.[59]

Best's last competitive game for the club was on 1 January 1974 against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road, which United lost 3–0,[60] he failed to turn up for training three days later and was dropped by Docherty, though he claimed Docherty was deceitful with him.[61] Best was arrested and charged with stealing a fur coat, passport, and cheque book from Marjorie Wallace, but was later cleared of all charges.[62] United went on to suffer relegation into the Second Division in 1973–74.

Best played at United when shirt numbers were assigned to positions, and not the player. When Best played at right wing, as he famously did during the later stages of the 1966 and 1968 European Cups, he donned the number 7, as a left winger, where he played exclusively in his debut season and nearly all of the 1971–72 campaign, he wore the number 11. Best wore the number 8 shirt at inside right on occasion throughout the 1960s, but for more than half of his matches during 1970–71, he was playing at inside left (wearing the number 10) in 1972 when he famously walked out on United the first time but was back in the number 11 for the autumn of 1973 before leaving for good. Best even wore the number 9 jersey once for United, with Bobby Charlton injured, on 22 March 1969 at Old Trafford, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 win over Sheffield Wednesday;[63] in total Best made 470 appearances for Manchester United in all competitions from 1963 to 1974, and scored 179 goals. Over the next decade he went into an increasingly rapid decline, drifting between several clubs, including spells in South Africa, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, Scotland, and Australia.[64]

Playing only five competitive matches for Jewish Guild in South Africa, Best endured criticism for missing several training sessions, during his short time there, he was the main draw attracting thousands of spectators to the matches.[65]

Best had a brief spell at Cork Celtic in December 1975 and January 1976, he made his League of Ireland debut against Drogheda United at Flower Lodge on 28 December. He played only three league games, the others against Bohemians and Shelbourne, but despite attracting big crowds he failed to score or impress. Being on a rolling contract with Cork his failure to show for a game saw him being dropped and subsequently leaving the club.[66]

He had a brief resurgence in form with Second Division club Fulham in 1976–77, showing that, although he had lost some of his pace, he retained his skills. His time with the "Cottagers" is particularly remembered for a match against Hereford United on 25 September 1976 in which he tackled his own teammate, and old drinking mate, Rodney Marsh. Best stated later in life that he enjoyed his time most while at Craven Cottage, despite not winning any honours.

Best played for three clubs in the United States: Los Angeles Aztecs, Fort Lauderdale Strikers and later San Jose Earthquakes; he also played for the Detroit Express on a European tour. Best revelled in the anonymity the United States afforded him after England and was a success on the field, scoring 15 goals in 24 games in his first season with the Aztecs and named as the NASL's best midfielder in his second,[67] he and manager Ken Adam opened "Bestie's Beach Club" (now called "The Underground" after the London subway system) in Hermosa Beach, California in the 1970s, and continued to operate it until the 1990s.

Best caused a stir when he returned to the UK to play for the Scottish club Hibernian,[68] the club was suffering a decline in fortunes and was heading for relegation from the Premier Division,[68] before Best was signed on a "pay per play" basis after the club chairman, Tom Hart, received a tip-off from an Edinburgh Evening News reporter that he was available.[68][69] Even though Best failed to save Hibs from relegation, gates increased dramatically, and the attendance quadrupled for his first match at Easter Road.[68] One infamous incident saw Best initially sacked by Hibs after he went on a massive drinking session with the French rugby team, who were in Edinburgh to play Scotland.[69] He was brought back a week later; in August 1982, he played 20 minutes for Scone Thistle against Scone Amateurs; the appearance fee he received helped to pay off an income tax bill.[70]

Best in Hong Kong in 1982

He returned to the US to play for the San Jose Earthquakes in what was officially described as a "loan", though he only managed a handful of appearances for Hibs in the First Division in the following season,[69] he returned one last time to Easter Road in 1984, for Jackie McNamara'stestimonial match against Newcastle United.[68] In his third season in the States, Best scored once in 12 appearances, his moves to Fort Lauderdale and San Jose were also unhappy, as his off-field demons began to take control of his life again. After failing to agree terms with Bolton Wanderers in 1981, he was invited as a guest player and played three matches for two Hong Kong First Division teams (Sea Bee and Rangers) in 1982. (He played with his former Northern Ireland teammate Derek Spence at Hong Kong.) While in Hong Kong, Best also played darts for a team called Presstuds, made up of a combination of professional footballers and sports journalists.[71]

In late 1982, Bournemouth manager Don Megson signed the 36-year-old Best for the Third Division side, and he remained there until the end of the 1982–83 season, when he retired from football at the age of 37. Best played in a friendly for Newry Town against Shamrock Rovers in August 1983,[72] before ending his professional career exactly 20 years after joining Manchester United with a brief four-match stint playing for the Brisbane Lions in the Australian National Soccer League during the 1983 season.[73] He also was a guest player for an exhibition match between Dee Why Football Club and Manly Warringah held on 27 July 1983; Dee Why won the match 2–1, with Best having scored the winning goal.[74][75]

On 15 May 1971, Best scored possibly the most famous "goal" of his career at Windsor Park in Belfast against England,[76] as Gordon Banks, the English goalkeeper, released the ball in the air in order to kick the ball downfield, Best managed to kick the ball first, which sent the ball high over their heads and heading towards the open goal.[76] Best outpaced Banks and headed the ball into the empty goal, but the goal was disallowed by referee Alistair Mackenzie.[76]

Best continued to be selected for Northern Ireland throughout the 1970s, despite his fluctuating form and off pitch problems. Dutch captain Johan Cruyff commented: "What he [Best] had was unique, you can't coach it".[77]

Best was considered briefly by manager Billy Bingham for the 1982 World Cup, but at the age of 36, with his football skills dulled by age and drink (and five years having passed since his last cap), he was not selected for the Northern Ireland squad. A proponent of a United Ireland football team, in 2005 Best stated: "I've always thought that at any given time both the Republic and Northern Ireland have had some great world-class players. I still hope that in my lifetime it happens."[78]

A highly skilful winger, considered by several pundits to be one of the greatest dribblers in the history of the sport, Best received plaudits for his playing style, which combined pace, skill, balance, feints, two-footedness, goalscoring and the ability to get past defenders.[5][6][7] Recalling Best's career and style of play, Patrick Barclay said: "In terms of ability he was the world’s best footballer of all time, he could do almost anything – technically, speed, complete mastery of not only the ball but his own body. You could saw his legs away and he still wouldn’t fall because his balance was uncanny, almost supernatural. Heading ability, passing ability, I mean it goes without saying the dribbling – he could beat anybody in any way he chose, for fun he’d play a one-two off the opponent’s shins."[79]

Although Best was mostly renowned for his dribbling skills, he has also drew praise for his ability as a creator; in regard to this ability, Tony Dove commented: "I only had the opportunity to see George play once in person – Man U played a tour game in Auckland, New Zealand, late in the 60s. His brilliance was simply dazzling – player after player from the New Zealand national team queued up to try to tackle him and he gave them all dancing lessons. I clearly remember one run, starting almost from the goal-line, from a roll-out by Stepney, when he evaded every player in the NZ team, one after the other, until he reached the opposite end of the pitch and produced a perfectly floated centre for Charlton's head, his grace, agility and ball skills were only eclipsed by his unselfish passing – many love to remark on his goal scoring but he was prodigious as the set-up man. On the field you couldn't ask for a better football role-model. Let the man pass with what dignity remains to him. Remember him at his best."[80]

During his early years at Old Trafford, Best was a shy teenager who passed his free time in snooker halls.[82] However, he later became known for his long hair, good looks and extravagant celebrity lifestyle, and appeared on Top of the Pops in 1965.[83]

He opened a nightclub called Slack Alice on Bootle Street in Manchester in 1973 and owned restaurants in the city including Oscars, on the site of the old Waldorf Hotel.[84][85] He also owned fashion boutiques, in partnership with Mike Summerbee. Best's cousin Gary Reid, a member of the Ulster Defence Association, was killed in 1974 during an episode of serious rioting in east Belfast.[86]

In 1969 I gave up women and alcohol—it was the worst 20 minutes of my life.

Best married Angela MacDonald-Janes on 24 January 1978 at Candlelight Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, having met in the United States when Best was playing for the Los Angeles Aztecs, their son, Calum, was born in 1981, but they separated the following year and divorced in 1986.[88] His niece by marriage is actress Samantha Janus, who is the daughter of Angie MacDonald-Janes' brother.[89]

He married Alex Pursey in 1995 in Kensington and Chelsea, London,[90] they divorced in 2005[91] with no children. In 2004 she alleged that Best was violent towards her during their marriage, an issue that was covered in Best's authorised 1998 biography "Bestie" in which Alex claimed that Best punched her in the face on more than one occasion.[92] Earlier in the book it is revealed that he struck another of his girlfriends at least once and was arrested and charged with assault on a waitress, Stevie Sloniecka, in November 1972, when he fractured her nose in Reuben's nightclub, Manchester,[93] he was successfully defended when the case reached court in January 1973 by barrister George Carman QC, a close drinking companion of Best, as acknowledged in his book, Scoring at Half Time.

At the peak of his career in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Best advertised Cookstown sausages on television with the phrase "the Best family sausages";[94] in 2007 a memorial plaque was placed outside the pork factory in the County Tyrone town.[94]

In 2007, GQ magazine named him as one of the 50 most stylish men of the past 50 years.[96] When Best played football, salaries were a fraction of what top players earn today, but, with his pop star image and celebrity status, Best still earned a fortune, he lost almost all of it. When asked what happened to the money he had earned, Best quipped: "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds (women) and fast cars, the rest I just squandered."[97]

Best suffered from alcoholism for most of his adult life, leading to numerous controversies and, eventually, his death;[99] in 1981, while playing in the United States, Best stole money from the handbag of a woman he did not know in order to fund a drinking session. "We were sitting in a bar on the beach, and when she got up to go to the toilet I leaned over and took all the money she had in her bag."[100]

In 1984, Best received a three-month prison sentence for drunk driving, assaulting a police officer and failing to answer bail, he spent Christmas of 1984 behind bars at Ford Open Prison. Contrary to popular belief and urban legend he never played football for the prison team; in September 1990, Best appeared on the primetime BBC chat show Wogan in which he was heavily drunk and swore, at one point saying to the host, "Terry, I like screwing".[101] He later apologised and said this was one of the worst episodes of his alcoholism.

Best was diagnosed with severe liver damage in March 2000,[11] his liver was said to be functioning at only 20%.[102] In 2001, he was admitted to hospital with pneumonia;[103] in August 2002, he had a successful liver transplant at King's College Hospital in London.[11] He haemorrhaged so badly during the operation that he nearly died,[12] the transplant was performed at public expense on the NHS, a decision which was controversial due to Best's alcoholism.[104] The controversy was reignited in 2003 when he was spotted openly drinking white winespritzers,[99] on 2 February 2004, Best was convicted of another drink-driving offence and banned from driving for 20 months.[105]

Best continued to drink, and was sometimes seen at his local pub in Surbiton, London, on 3 October 2005, he was admitted to intensive care at the private Cromwell Hospital in London, suffering from a kidney infection caused by the side effects of immuno-suppressive drugs used to prevent his body from rejecting his transplanted liver.[11] On 27 October, newspapers stated that Best was close to death and had sent a farewell message to his loved ones. Close friends in the game visited his bedside to make their farewells, including Rodney Marsh, and the two other members of the "United Trinity", Bobby Charlton and Denis Law,[106] on 20 November, the British tabloid News of the World published a picture of Best (at his own request) showing him in his hospital bed with jaundice, along with a warning about the dangers of alcohol with his message: "Don't die like me".[106] In the early hours of 25 November 2005, treatment was stopped; later that day he died, aged 59, as a result of a lung infection and multiple organ failure.[11][107]

Tributes were paid to Best from around the world, including from arguably three of the greatest football players ever, Pelé, Diego Maradona and Johan Cruyff.[77] Maradona commented: "George inspired me when I was young, he was flamboyant and exciting and able to inspire his teammates. I actually think we were very similar players - dribblers who were able to create moments of magic."[77] Fellow Manchester United legend Eric Cantona gave a eulogy to Best: "I would love him to save me a place in his team, George Best that is, not God."[108]

The Premier League announced that a minute's silence would be observed before all Premier League games to be held over the weekend of his death; however at many grounds a minute's applause broke out in his honour.[109] The first match at Old Trafford after Best's death was a League Cup tie against West Bromwich Albion, the club against which he made his debut for Manchester United in 1963.[110] The match, which United won, was preceded by tributes from former teammate Sir Bobby Charlton. Best's son Calum and former teammates, surviving members from the West Brom team which he played against in his debut, all joined the current United squad on the pitch for a minute's silence, during which fans in every seat held aloft pictures of Best, which were given out before the match.[110]

His body left the family home at Cregagh Road, East Belfast, shortly after 10:00 UTC on Saturday, 3 December 2005. The cortege then travelled the short distance to Stormont, the route was lined with around 100,000 mourners.[111] Former Northern Ireland manager Billy Bingham, international teammates Derek Dougan, Peter McParland, Harry Gregg, Gerry Armstrong and Denis Law were the first to carry the coffin to the base of the Stormont steps.[111]

There was an 11 am service in the Grand Hall attended by 300 invited guests relayed to around 25,000 mourners inside the grounds of Stormont. Best's brother Ian, agent Phil Hughes, Dr Akeel Alisa, who treated Best, and his brothers-in-law Norman McNarry and Alan McPherson, were also pallbearers, as the cortege left Stormont, the Gilnahirk pipe band played. The funeral was live on several television stations including BBC One. Afterward, Best was cremated, and his ashes were interred beside his mother Annie Elizabeth Kelly in a private ceremony at the hill-top Roselawn Cemetery, overlooking east Belfast.[111]

Following his death, the George Best Belfast City Airport was named after him.

Belfast City Airport was renamed George Best Belfast City Airport as a tribute to Best.[112] The official new name and signage was unveiled to a gathering of the Best family and friends at the airport on 22 May 2006, which would have been his 60th birthday. Public opinion in Northern Ireland about the renaming of the airport was divided, with one poll showing 52% in favour and 48% against.[113]Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) deputy leader and East Belfast Member of Parliament Peter Robinson, in whose constituency Belfast City airport is situated, stated that his preference was a sports stadium be named after Best.[114]

"With feet as sensitive as a pickpocket's hands, his control of the ball under the most violent pressure was astonishing. The bewildering repertoire of feints and swerves... and balance that would have made Isaac Newton decide he might as well have eaten the apple."

In June 2006, Sarah Fabergé, great-granddaughter of Russian Imperial Jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé, was commissioned to create the George Best Egg, in tribute. A strictly limited edition of 68 eggs were produced, with all profits from the sale of the eggs going to the George Best Foundation, which promotes health through sport and supports people with alcohol and drug problems,[116] the first egg is on display at the George Best Airport. For the first anniversary of his death, Ulster Bank issued one million commemorative five pound notes,[117] the notes sold out in five days.[118] The notes sold on the online auction site eBay for up to £30.[119]

In December 2006 the George Best Memorial Trust launched a fund-raising drive to raise £200,000 in subscriptions to pay for a life-size bronze sculpture of George Best. By 2008 the money had still not been raised until a local developer, Doug Elliott, announced on 29 January 2008, that he would put up the rest of the money and would manage delivery of the project.[120]

In 2015 it was announced that a new film about the life of George Best was being worked on, directed by John-Paul Davidson,[137] the film focuses on the upbringing of George Best as well as his rise to a footballing star. The producers also announced that the film would be partly crowdfunded in an attempt to make £500,000 towards its production, the film will be released in 2018 with the premiere taking place in London.[138]

^David McKittirck, Seamus Kelters, Brian Feeney, Chris Thornton & David McVea, Lost Lives: The Stories of the Men, Women and Children Who Died as a Result of the Northern Ireland Troubles, Mainstream Publishing, 2008, p. 425

1.
Belfast
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Belfast is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, the second largest on the island of Ireland, and the heart of the tenth largest Primary Urban Area in the United Kingdom. On the River Lagan, it had a population of 286,000 at the 2011 census and 333,871 after the 2015 council reform, Belfast was granted city status in 1888. Belfast played a key role in the Industrial Revolution, and was an industrial centre until the latter half of the 20th century. It has sustained a major aerospace and missiles industry since the mid 1930s, industrialisation and the inward migration it brought made Belfast Irelands biggest city at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, Belfast remains a centre for industry, as well as the arts, higher education, business, and law, additionally, Belfast city centre has undergone considerable expansion and regeneration in recent years, notably around Victoria Square. Belfast is served by two airports, George Best Belfast City Airport in the city, and Belfast International Airport 15 miles west of the city. Although the county borough of Belfast was created when it was granted city status by Queen Victoria in 1888, the site of Belfast has been occupied since the Bronze Age. The Giants Ring, a 5, 000-year-old henge, is located near the city, Belfast remained a small settlement of little importance during the Middle Ages. The ONeill clan had a presence in the area, in the 14th century, Cloinne Aodha Buidhe, descendants of Aodh Buidhe ONeill built Grey Castle at Castlereagh, now in the east of the city. Conn ONeill of the Clannaboy ONeills owned vast lands in the area and was the last inhabitant of Grey Castle, evidence of this period of Belfasts growth can still be seen in the oldest areas of the city, known as the Entries. Belfast blossomed as a commercial and industrial centre in the 18th and 19th centuries, industries thrived, including linen, rope-making, tobacco, heavy engineering and shipbuilding, and at the end of the 19th century, Belfast briefly overtook Dublin as the largest city in Ireland. The Harland and Wolff shipyards became one of the largest shipbuilders in the world, in 1886 the city suffered intense riots over the issue of home rule, which had divided the city. In 1920–22, Belfast became the capital of the new entity of Northern Ireland as the island of Ireland was partitioned, the accompanying conflict cost up to 500 lives in Belfast, the bloodiest sectarian strife in the city until the Troubles of the late 1960s onwards. Belfast was heavily bombed during World War II, in one raid, in 1941, German bombers killed around one thousand people and left tens of thousands homeless. Apart from London, this was the greatest loss of life in a raid during the Blitz. Belfast has been the capital of Northern Ireland since its establishment in 1921 following the Government of Ireland Act 1920 and it had been the scene of various episodes of sectarian conflict between its Catholic and Protestant populations. These opposing groups in conflict are now often termed republican and loyalist respectively. The most recent example of conflict was known as the Troubles – a civil conflict that raged from around 1969 to 1998

2.
London
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London /ˈlʌndən/ is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain and it was founded by the Romans, who named it Londinium. Londons ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its 1. 12-square-mile medieval boundaries. London is a global city in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism. It is crowned as the worlds largest financial centre and has the fifth- or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world, London is a world cultural capital. It is the worlds most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the worlds largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic, London is the worlds leading investment destination, hosting more international retailers and ultra high-net-worth individuals than any other city. Londons universities form the largest concentration of education institutes in Europe. In 2012, London became the first city to have hosted the modern Summer Olympic Games three times, London has a diverse range of people and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken in the region. Its estimated mid-2015 municipal population was 8,673,713, the largest of any city in the European Union, Londons urban area is the second most populous in the EU, after Paris, with 9,787,426 inhabitants at the 2011 census. The citys metropolitan area is the most populous in the EU with 13,879,757 inhabitants, the city-region therefore has a similar land area and population to that of the New York metropolitan area. London was the worlds most populous city from around 1831 to 1925, Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Pauls Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, and The Shard. The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world, the etymology of London is uncertain. It is an ancient name, found in sources from the 2nd century and it is recorded c.121 as Londinium, which points to Romano-British origin, and hand-written Roman tablets recovered in the city originating from AD 65/70-80 include the word Londinio. The earliest attempted explanation, now disregarded, is attributed to Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae and this had it that the name originated from a supposed King Lud, who had allegedly taken over the city and named it Kaerlud. From 1898, it was accepted that the name was of Celtic origin and meant place belonging to a man called *Londinos. The ultimate difficulty lies in reconciling the Latin form Londinium with the modern Welsh Llundain, which should demand a form *lōndinion, from earlier *loundiniom. The possibility cannot be ruled out that the Welsh name was borrowed back in from English at a later date, and thus cannot be used as a basis from which to reconstruct the original name. Until 1889, the name London officially applied only to the City of London, two recent discoveries indicate probable very early settlements near the Thames in the London area

3.
Midfielder
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A midfielder is an association football position. Midfielders are generally positioned on the field between their teams defenders and forwards, some midfielders play a disciplined defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are otherwise known as defensive midfielders. Others blur the boundaries, being mobile and efficient in passing, they are commonly referred to as deep-lying midfielders, play-makers, box-to-box. The number of midfielders on a team and their assigned roles depends on the teams formation, most managers assign at least one midfielder to disrupt the opposing teams attacks, while others may be tasked with creating goals, or have equal responsibilities between attack and defence. Midfielders are the players who typically travel the greatest distance during a match, central or centre midfielders are players whose role is divided roughly equally between attack and defence. When the opposing team has the ball, a midfielder may drop back to protect the goal or move forward. The 4–3–3 and 4–5–1 formations each use three central midfielders, the 4−4−2 formation may use two central midfielders, and in the 4–2–3–1 formation one of the two deeper midfielders may be a central midfielder. The term box-to-box midfielder refers to central midfielders who have abilities and are skilled at both defending and attacking. These players can track back to their own box to make tackles and block shots. A good box-to-box midfielder needs good passing, vision, control, stamina, tackling and marking in defence, left and right midfielders have a role balanced between attack and defence, similar to that of central midfielders, but they are positioned closer to the touchlines of the pitch. They may be asked to cross the ball into the penalty area to make scoring chances for their teammates. Common modern formations that include left and right midfielders are the 4−4−2, the 4−4−1−1, the 4–2–3–1, a notable example of a right midfielder is David Beckham. Defensive midfielders are players who focus on protecting their teams goal. These players may defend a zone in front of their teams defence, defensive midfielders may also move to the full-back or centre-back positions if those players move forward to join in an attack. Sergio Busquets described his attitude, The coach knows that I am an obedient player who likes to help out and if I have to run to the wing to cover someones position, great. A good defensive midfielder needs good positional awareness, anticipation of play, marking, tackling, interceptions, passing and great stamina. A holding or deep-lying midfielder stays close to their teams defence, a player in this role will try to protect their goal by disrupting the opponents attacking moves and stopping long shots on the goal. The holding midfielder may also have responsibilities when their team has the ball and this player will make mostly short and simple passes to more attacking members of their team but may try some more difficult passes depending on the teams strategy

4.
Manchester United F.C.
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Manchester United Football Club is a professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. Nicknamed the Red Devils, the club was founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to its current stadium, Old Trafford, in 1910. Manchester United have won a record 20 League Titles, a joint-record 12 FA Cups,5 League Cups, the club has also won three European Cups, one UEFA Cup Winners Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, one Intercontinental Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup. In 1998–99, the became the first in the history of English football to achieve the treble of the Premier League, the FA Cup. The 1958 Munich air disaster claimed the lives of eight players, in 1968, under the management of Matt Busby, Manchester United became the first English football club to win the European Cup. Alex Ferguson won 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League titles,5 FA Cups and 2 UEFA Champions Leagues, José Mourinho is the clubs current manager, having been appointed on 27 May 2016. As of June 2015, it is the worlds most valuable football brand and it is one of the most widely supported football teams in the world. In August 2012, Manchester United made a public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. The club holds several rivalries, most notably with Liverpool, Manchester City and Leeds United, Manchester United was formed in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR Football Club by the Carriage and Wagon department of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath. By 1888, the club had become a member of The Combination. Following the leagues dissolution after only one season, Newton Heath joined the newly formed Football Alliance and this resulted in the club starting the 1892–93 season in the First Division, by which time it had become independent of the railway company and dropped the LYR from its name. After two seasons, the club was relegated to the Second Division, in January 1902, with debts of £2,670 – equivalent to £260,000 in 2017 – the club was served with a winding-up order. The following season began with victory in the first ever Charity Shield, Manchester United won the First Division for the second time in 1911, but at the end of the following season, Mangnall left the club to join Manchester City. In 1922, three years after the resumption of football following the First World War, the club was relegated to the Second Division, relegated again in 1931, Manchester United became a yo-yo club, achieving its all-time lowest position of 20th place in the Second Division in 1934. Gibson, who, in December 1931, invested £2,000, in the 1938–39 season, the last year of football before the Second World War, the club finished 14th in the First Division. Busby led the team to second-place league finishes in 1947,1948 and 1949, in 1952, the club won the First Division, its first league title for 41 years. With an average age of 22, the title winning side of 1956 were labelled the Busby Babes by the media. In 1957, Manchester United became the first English team to compete in the European Cup, despite objections from The Football League, who had denied Chelsea the same opportunity the previous season

5.
Dunstable Town F.C.
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Dunstable Town Football Club is a football club based in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England. Affiliated with the Bedfordshire County Football Association, they are members of the Southern League Premier Division. The club was established in October 1883, and were members of the Bedfordshire FA the following year. In their first competitive match they lost 4–3 to Luton Montrose in the Bedfordshire Senior Cup after being 3–0 up, however, the following season the club won the competition. In 1950 the club joined the Metropolitan League, and in 1956–57 they reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, eventually losing 3–1 at Margate. In 1961 Dunstable switched to the United Counties League, but left two seasons to rejoin the Metropolitan League, becoming one of only three first teams playing in Division Two. The following season saw the club moved into Division One, League restructuring saw them placed in the new Division One North for the 1971–72 season. They were moved into Division One South the following season and finished bottom of the division, transferred back to Division One North for the 1973–74 season, they finished bottom of the table again. Although Best only played in two matches, Astle stayed at the club and scored 34 goals as they finished as Division One South runners-up. However, debts caused the club to fold midway through the 1975–76 season, despite finishing eighth in the league, they were demoted to Division One North. Dunstable were transferred to Division One South for the 1978–79 season, and they remained in the division until the end of the 1993–94 season, after which they folded. The club was re-established in 1998 and joined Division One of the Spartan South Midlands League, after winning the division in 1999–2000 without losing a match, they were promoted to the Senior Division. The following season saw them finish as Senior Division runners-up, earning promotion to the Premier Division, the club went on to win the Premier Division in 2002–03 and were promoted to Division One North of the Isthmian League. However, they were relegated to the Western Division at the end of the 2004–05 season, the following season saw them finish in the relegation zone, but the club were reprieved due to FA restructuring and moved to Division One Midlands. However, they were relegated back to the Spartan South Midlands League at the end of the 2008–09 season following a 13-point deduction, in 2012–13 Dunstable won the Spartan South Midlands League without losing a match, as well as winning the leagues Challenge Trophy and the Bedfordshire Premier Cup. The clubs reserve team joined Division One of the South Midlands League in 1951 and they finished as runners-up in their first season, earning promotion to the Premier Division. They left the league in 1954, switching to the Hellenic League and they were Premier Division runners-up in 1957–58, after which they switched to the United Counties League. They went on to win back-to-back United Counties League titles in 1958–59 and 1959–60, in 1964 they returned to the Hellenic League, and were placed in Division One, but took over from the first team in the Metropolitan League for the 1965–66 season

6.
Stockport County F.C.
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Stockport County Football Club is a semi-professional football club in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, the team adopted their name in 1890 after the County Borough of Stockport and they have played at Edgeley Park since 1902, traditionally in blue and white, and are nicknamed The Hatters after the towns former hat-making industry. Stockport County joined the Football League in 1900 and competed in it continuously from 1905 to 2011, however, instability on and off the pitch eventually led to Stockport falling back to the lower divisions. The club started the 2011–12 season in the Conference National, having been relegated from Football League Two for the first time in their history at the end of 2010–11, at the end of 2012–13, Stockport were relegated to the Conference North. Stockport County was formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers by members of the Wycliffe Congregational Church, the club adopted The Hatters as their nickname, owing to Stockports history as the centre of the Victorian hat-making industry, a nickname that is shared with Luton Town. Stockport played in the Lancashire League until 1900, when they gained admission to the Football League Second Division, Stockports first Football League match was against Leicester Fosse which ended in a 2–2 draw. Stockport left their Green Lane home in 1902 and moved to Edgeley Park where they currently reside, the club finished in the bottom three for their first four seasons, and at the end of 1903–04 they failed to gain re-election. They spent one year in the Lancashire Combination and the Midland League, at the end of the season, they were re-admitted to the Football League after being re-elected through the Midland League. In their first season back in the Football League, Stockport reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, however, Stockport finished the league in 10th position that season. Stockport remained in Division 2 of the Football League for seven years until 1912–13 when they again had to seek re-election, Stockport gained 22 votes and was therefore re-elected. Albert Williams was presented with the seven days later before the home game with Lincoln City. This title win began a remarkable coincidence which has occurred in each of Stockports title winning seasons where Lincoln City have been the last opponents in each of those seasons. Joe OKane, who joined Stockport the previous season, was a factor in the clubs promotion although he left the club at the end of the season. Once Stockport returned to Division 2, they struggled and survived an automatic relegation by one point, the 1923–24 season saw Stockport County finish 13th, one place above Manchester United. This is the time in history Stockport has achieved better than Manchester United. During this campaign Stockport goalkeeper Harry Hardy was called up to play for the England national team and he is the only player to be capped at full level by England while on Stockports books. Two seasons later Stockport returned to the division after finishing bottom of the league. Stockport closed out the 1920s in Division Three North with a 3rd-placed finish in 1927–28, Joe Smith was Stockports and the divisions leading goalscorer in this particular season contributing to 38 of Stockports 89 goals

7.
Cork Celtic F.C.
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Cork Celtic F. C. originally Evergreen United F. C. was an Irish football club based in Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1951 and 1979 and played their games at Turners Cross. In 1974 they were League of Ireland champions and the season they reached the second round of the European Cup. The clubs foundation date is unknown, but its earliest appearance in the FAI Cup was in 1936-37, Evergreen finished as League runners-up in 1953 and 1959. In 1953 they also played in an all-Cork FAI Cup final against Cork Athletic, during the 1956-57 season Evergreen’s Donal Leahy finished as joint top goalscorer in the league with 15 goals. In the following two seasons Leahy finished top goalscorer outright with 16 and 22 goals respectively. Irish international Tommy Moroney finished his career with Evergreen and, on October 4,1953 in a World Cup qualifier against France. In 1959 the club changed its name to Cork Celtic, as Celtic in the 1960s they enjoyed a local rivalry with Cork Hibernians. In 1974 with a team that included Alfie Hale and Bobby Tambling, Tambling, a former Chelsea player and England international had initially moved to Ireland to work as a Jehovahs Witness missionary. He scored 7 league goals in his first season as he helped Celtic win the title, in subsequent seasons Celtic attracted several other notable players. On the back of League success in 1974, Paul ODonovan signed George Best, in December 1975 George Best had a brief spell with Celtic in between equally brief spells at Stockport County and Los Angeles Aztecs. He played only three games, against Drogheda United, Bohemians and Shelbourne, but despite attracting big crowds he failed to score or impress. In 1976 Geoff Hurst spent a month with Celtic, scoring three goals during his brief stay, uwe Seeler also played one game for Celtic during the 1977-78 season and scored twice in a 6–2 defeat to Shamrock Rovers

8.
Los Angeles Aztecs
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The Los Angeles Aztecs were a soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League from 1974 to 1981. The team was based in Los Angeles, California and part-owned by Elton John, the Aztecs are remembered for their mixed success and were sometimes compared to the New York Cosmos as the Cosmos of the West Coast. However, they did not draw nearly as well as the Cosmos, or even the Seattle Sounders and they won the 1974 NASL Championship over the Miami Toros. In 1976, a fading George Best signed alongside Ron Davies, in 1979 attendance peaked as manager Rinus Michels signed the Dutch superstar Johan Cruyff who went on to win the NASL Most Valuable Player Award in his one year with the Aztecs. In 1981, their season, the Aztecs were managed by former Brazil manager Cláudio Coutinho. Dr. Jack Gregory – Founder / co-owner Elton John – co-owner Alan Rothenberg – owner Televisa Corp – owners Los Angeles Aztecs on FunWhileItLasted. net

9.
Fulham F.C.
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Fulham Football Club is a professional association football club based in Fulham, Greater London, England. Founded in 1879, they play in the Championship, the tier of English football. They are the football team from London to have played in the Premier League. The club has spent 25 seasons in English footballs top division, the latter spell was associated with former chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed, after the club had climbed up from the fourth tier in the 1990s. The club has produced many English greats, including Johnny Haynes, George Cohen, Bobby Robson, Rodney Marsh and they play at Craven Cottage, a ground on the banks of the River Thames in Fulham which has been their home since 1896. Fulhams training ground is located near Motspur Park, where the clubs Academy is also situated, Fulham were formed in 1879 as Fulham St Andrews Church Sunday School F. C. founded by worshipers at the Church of England on Star Road, West Kensington. Fulhams mother church still today with a plaque commemorating the teams foundation. They won the West London Amateur Cup in 1887 and, having shortened the name from Fulham Excelsior to its present form in 1888, one of the clubs first ever kits was half red, half white shirts with white shorts worn in the 1886–87 season. Fulham started playing at their current ground at Craven Cottage in 1896, the club gained professional status on 12 December 1898, the same year that they were admitted into the Southern Leagues Second Division. They were the club from London to turn professional, following Arsenal. They adopted a red and white kit during the 1900–01 season, in 1902–03, the club won promotion from this division, entering the Southern League First Division. The club won the Southern League twice, in 1905–06 and 1906–07, Fulham joined The Football League after the second of their Southern League triumphs. The clubs first league game, playing in the Second Divisions 1907–08 season, the first win came a few days later at Derby Countys Baseball Ground by a score line of 1–0. Fulham finished the three points short of promotion in fourth place. The club progressed all the way to the semi-final of that seasons FA Cup, in the semi-final, however, they were heavily beaten, 6–0, by Newcastle United. This is still a loss for an FA Cup semi-final game. Two years later, the won the London Challenge Cup in the 1909–10 season. Fulhams first season in Division Two turned out to be the highest that the club would finish for 21 years, until in 1927–28 when the club were relegated to the 3rd Division South, created in 1920

10.
Hibernian F.C.
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It is one of three SPFL clubs in the city, the others being their Edinburgh derby rivals Hearts and Edinburgh City. Hibernian was founded in 1875 by Irish immigrants, but support for the club is now based on rather than ethnicity or religion. The Irish heritage of Hibernian is still reflected, however, in its name, colours, the name of the club is usually shortened to Hibs. The team are also called The Hibees and The Cabbage, a shortening of the slang for Hibs of Cabbage and Ribs, by fans of the club. Home matches are played at the Easter Road stadium, in use since 1893, Hibernian have played in the second tier of the Scottish football league system, known as the Scottish Championship, since being relegated in 2014. Hibernian have won the Scottish league championship four times, most recently in 1952, three of those four championships were won between 1948 and 1952, when the club had the services of The Famous Five, a notable forward line. The club have won the Scottish Cup three times, in 1887,1902 and 2016, Hibs have also won the Scottish League Cup three times, in 1972,1991 and 2007. The club was founded in 1875 by Irishmen from the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, the name is derived from Hibernia, the Roman name for Ireland. James Connolly, the famous Irish Republican leader, was a Hibs fan, there was some sectarian resistance initially to an Irish club participating in Scottish football, but Hibs established themselves as a force in Scottish football in the 1880s. Hibs were the first club from the east coast of Scotland to win a major trophy and they went on to defeat Preston North End, who had won the 1887 FA Cup, in a friendly match described as the Association Football Championship of the World Decider. Mismanagement over the few years led to Hibs becoming homeless. A lease on the Easter Road site was acquired in late 1892, despite this interruption, the club today views the period since 1875 as one continued history and therefore counts the honours won between 1875 and 1891, including the 1887 Scottish Cup. The club were admitted to the Scottish Football League in 1893, a significant change at this time was that players were no longer required to be members of the Catholic Young Mens Society. Hibs are not seen today as being an Irish or Roman Catholic institution, for instance, the Irish harp was only re-introduced to the club badge when it was last re-designed in 2000. This design reflects the three pillars of the identity, Ireland, Edinburgh and Leith. Geography rather than religion is now seen as the reason for supporting Hibs. Hibs had some success after being reformed, winning the 1902 Scottish Cup, after this, however, the club endured a long barren spell. The club lost its placing in the league, and were relegated for the first time in 1931, the notorious Scottish Cup drought began as they reached three cup finals, two in consecutive years, but lost each of them

11.
Hong Kong Rangers FC
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Hong Kong Rangers Football Club, is a Hong Kong football club and plays in Hong Kong Premier League. They have won the Hong Kong First Division League once, the Senior Challenge Shield 4 times, the club was founded in 1958 by a Scottish expatriate from Glasgow named Ian John Petrie. He named his club after Rangers and it was the first Asian football club with a modern football club managing system. In the early days, the club could not compete with the bigger clubs financially, so Petrie relied on young players and the team was known as a breeding ground for young players. Kwok Ka Ming was the best known players discovered by Petrie in the 1960s, in 1970, the club brought three Scottish professional players to Hong Kong. They were the first European professional players to play in the Hong Kong League, great players such as Ian Taylor, Joe Brennan, Jimmy Liddell, and Derek Currie were a few to name. More were to follow in the 1980s such as Steve Paterson Jimmy Bone, since 12 October 2001, the club had been named after its sponsor, Buler, resulting in the name Buler Rangers up until Summer 2006. In 2011, the changed their name as Kam Fung. They were the champions of the 2011–12 Hong Kong Second Division League and were promoted to the Hong Kong First Division League, the club has since renamed itself as Biu Chun Rangers due to being sponsored by Biu Chun Watch Hands. Over the last decade, Rangers policy in youth investment has paid off and has gained the club a reputation as an excellent school for young footballers, the Rangers youth academy has produced many of Hong Kongs finest youngsters. Although many have signed to bigger clubs since, some have chosen to stay with the club that nurtured them. Rangers youth system has been so successful it is common to see Rangers providing the bulk of Hong Kongs age-grade international youth teams spanning all U-15, U-17, U-19, Note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality, remarks, FP These players are registered as foreign players. Players with dual nationality, Tales Schütz Moses Mensah Liu Songwei Li Jian Marco Wegener Note, players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Goran Paulić José Ricardo Rambo Cheung Po Chun Yan Lik Kin Fung Hoi Man Fourway Athletics Hong Kong Rangers F. C, official website Hong Kong Rangers F. C

12.
A.F.C. Bournemouth
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AFC Bournemouth /ˈbɔːrnməθ/ is a professional association football club based in Bournemouth, Dorset, that plays in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1890 as Boscombe St. Johns Institute F. C. the club was reformed in 1899 as Boscombe F. C and they changed to Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic F. C. in 1923, before settling on their current name in 1972. Nicknamed The Cherries, since 1910 Bournemouth have played their games at Dean Court. Their home colours are red and black striped shirts, with black shorts, AFC Bournemouth have won the second and third tiers of English football, and were twice runners up of the fourth tier. They have also won the Football League Trophy, and the Football League Third Division South Cup, currently managed by Eddie Howe, the 2015–16 season was AFC Bournemouths first ever in Englands top division. Although the exact date of the foundation is not known. The club was known as Boscombe F. C. The first president was Mr. J. C, in their first season, 1899–1900, Boscombe F. C. competed in the Bournemouth and District Junior League. They also played in the Hants Junior Cup, during the first two seasons, they played on a football pitch in Castlemain Avenue, Pokesdown. From their third season, the played on a pitch in Kings Park. In the 1905–06 season, Boscombe F. C. graduated to senior amateur football, in 1910, the club was granted a long lease upon some wasteland next to Kings Park as the clubs football ground by President J. E. Cooper-Dean. With their own ground, named Dean Court after the benefactor, also in 1910, the club signed their first professional football player B. Around about this time, the club obtained their nickname The Cherries, for the first time, during the 1913–14 season, the club competed in the FA Cup. The clubs progress, however, was halted in 1914 with the outbreak of World War I, in 1920, the Third Division was formed and Boscombe were promoted to the Southern League, finding moderate success. To make the more representative of the district, the name was changed to Bournemouth. During the same year, the club was elected to the Football League to fill the left by Stalybridge Celtics resignation. The first league match was at Swindon Town on 25 August 1923, the first league game at Dean Court was also against Swindon, where Bournemouth gained their first league point after a 0–0 draw. Initially, Bournemouth struggled in the Football League but eventually established themselves as a Third Division club, Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic Football Club remain on the records as the longest continuous members of the Third Division

13.
Queensland Lions FC
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Queensland Lions Football Club, known as Lions FC, is a football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1957, as Hollandia Inala Soccer Club, the club competes in the Brisbane Premier League. The club was founded in 1957 as Hollandia-Inala Soccer Club by Dutch immigrants, from the start they were based at grounds in the Brisbane suburb of Darra and then moved to Pine Road Richlands, where they still play. In the early 1970s, all clubs were required to abandon ethnic names, in 1977 the Lions were invited to play in the National Soccer League and played in the league as Brisbane Lions until the end of the 1988 season. Former Manchester United and Northern Ireland legend George Best made four appearances for the team during the 1983/84 season, from 1989 the Brisbane Lions played in the Brisbane Premier League. After coming to an agreement with the newly formed Brisbane Lions AFL club, in 2004 it was announced that the Lions had won the right to compete in the newly formed A-League. Operating as Queensland Roar the club was again represented in an Australian national league. The Queensland Lions operate a licensed club with a membership of over 23,000, Lions FC currently has seniors and junior team playing in the Brisbane Premier League for the mens and the Super Youth League for the juniors. In 2015 they made it through to the Round of 16 in the nationally run FFA Cup, note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality

14.
Nuneaton Town F.C.
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Nuneaton Town Football Club is an English football club based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. The club participates in the National League North, the tier of English football. In 1889 Nuneaton St. Nicholas were the first team to senior football within Nuneaton. Five years later, they changed their name to Nuneaton Town, however, two days later Nuneaton Borough F. C. were founded. In 2008 the club was liquidated, and due to a FA ruling were reformed as Nuneaton Town – suffering a two division demotion, the club is still known as The Boro by its supporters. The club currently play their fixtures at Liberty Way, Nuneaton. The clubs home colours are blue & white, local rivals include Tamworth, Leamington, Bedworth United and Coventry City. The club origins date from 1889 when young men from Nuneaton St. Nicolas Parish Church formed a team to represent the town. Originally playing only friendly games, from 1892 Nuneaton St. Nicolas entered Charity Cup competitions, in September 1894 the Nicks’ changed their name to Nuneaton Town Association F. C. This was despite Nuneaton Town being financially sound, following the disbandment of the Boro by its shareholders, a new group of local gentlemen decided to reform the football club. The new name Nuneaton Borough reflected the royal charter status that the town had been granted, Southern League Cup, Winners 1995–96, Runners Up 1962–63, Southern League Championship Match, Winners 199. Runners Up 1996, Home, At Manor Park 22,114, in May 2007, the curtain came down on Manor Park as they drew the last game 1–1 against Vauxhall Motors. Striker Gez Murphy took the honour of being the last Nuneaton Borough scorer at the ground, in the 2007–08 season, ill-health meant that the clubs owner, Ted Stocker, decided to sell his shares. March 2008 saw local businessman Ian Neale planned to take ownership of the club for a trial period, however, he took 100% ownership of the club in April. In May 2008, Mr Neale found some irregularities in the finances of the club, on 2 June 2008 Nuneaton Borough went into liquidation. Following the clubs liquidation, the reformed, this time as Nuneaton Town. The new club was forced to revert to its name of Nuneaton Town. Falling foul of regulations regarding football finance, the new club was demoted two divisions from Conference North to Southern League Division One, nevertheless, successive promotions saw the club quickly regain its former league status

15.
Tobermore United F.C.
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Tobermore United Football Club is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Premier Intermediate League. The club, founded in 1965, is based in Tobermore, near Magherafelt, County Londonderry, Club colours are red and black. The current manager is Adrian Whiteside, Tobermore United is the only football club in Northern Ireland that international superstar George Best ever played competitively for. The club has an extensive and highly popular youth development scheme which has led to it being awarded official Football Development Centre status by the IFA and it currently has teams at under-11, under-12, under-14 and under-16 level. In the 2010–11 season the club gained promotion to IFA Championship 1 by finishing 2nd in IFA Championship 2, but were relegated again two-years later. co. uk Tobermore Utd Tobermore Utd Res

16.
Northern Ireland national football team
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The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. From 1882 to 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Football Association of Ireland organises the separate Republic of Ireland national football team. Northern Ireland has competed in three FIFA World Cups, reaching the stage in the 1958 and 1982 tournaments. At UEFA Euro 2016, the team made its first appearance at the European tournament, on 18 February 1882,15 months after the founding of the Irish FA, Ireland made their international debut against England, losing 13–0 in a friendly played at Bloomfield in Belfast. This remains the record defeat for the team, and also Englands largest winning margin, on 25 February 1882, Ireland played their second international, against Wales at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, and an equaliser from Johnston became Ireland’s first ever goal. In 1884, Ireland competed in the inaugural British Home Championship, Ireland did not win their first game until 19 February 1887, a 4–1 win over Wales in Belfast. Between their debut and this game, they had a run of 14 defeats and 1 draw, despite the end of this run, heavy defeats continued. On 3 March 1888, they lost 11–0 to Wales and three weeks later, on 24 March, lost 10–2 to Scotland. Further heavy defeats came on 15 March 1890 when they lost 9–1 to England, on 18 February 1899 when they lost 13–2 to England, in 1899, the Irish FA also changed its rules governing the selection of non-resident players. Before then the Ireland team selected its players exclusively from the Irish League, on 4 March 1899, for the match against Wales, McAteer included four Irish players based in England. The change in policy produced dividends as Ireland won 1–0, in 1920, Ireland was partitioned into Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. In 1922, Southern Ireland gained independence as the Irish Free State, amid these political upheavals, a rival football association, the Football Association of Ireland, emerged in Dublin in 1921 and organised a separate league and international team. The Irish FA continued to organise its national team on an all-Ireland basis, between 1928 and 1946, the IFA were not affiliated to FIFA and the two Ireland teams co-existed, never competing in the same competition. On 8 March 1950, however, in a 0–0 draw with Wales at the Racecourse Ground in a FIFA World Cup qualifier, the IFA fielded a team that included four players who were born in the Irish Free State. All four players had played for the FAI in their qualifiers. After complaints from the FAI, FIFA intervened and restricted players eligibility based on the political border. In 1953 FIFA ruled neither team could be referred to as Ireland, decreeing that the FAI team be designated as the Republic of Ireland. Until the 1950s, the competition for Northern Ireland/Ireland was the British Home Championship

17.
Association football
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Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies making it the worlds most popular sport, the game is played on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by getting the ball into the opposing goal, players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play, unless they are goalkeepers. Other players mainly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, the team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is level at the end of the game, the Laws of the Game were originally codified in England by The Football Association in 1863. Association football is governed internationally by the International Federation of Association Football, the first written reference to the inflated ball used in the game was in the mid-14th century, Þe heued fro þe body went, Als it were a foteballe. The Online Etymology Dictionary states that the word soccer was split off in 1863, according to Partha Mazumdar, the term soccer originated in England, first appearing in the 1880s as an Oxford -er abbreviation of the word association. Within the English-speaking world, association football is now usually called football in the United Kingdom and mainly soccer in Canada and the United States. People in Australia, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand use either or both terms, although national associations in Australia and New Zealand now primarily use football for the formal name. According to FIFA, the Chinese competitive game cuju is the earliest form of football for which there is scientific evidence, cuju players could use any part of the body apart from hands and the intent was kicking a ball through an opening into a net. It was remarkably similar to football, though similarities to rugby occurred. During the Han Dynasty, cuju games were standardised and rules were established, phaininda and episkyros were Greek ball games. An image of an episkyros player depicted in low relief on a vase at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens appears on the UEFA European Championship Cup, athenaeus, writing in 228 AD, referenced the Roman ball game harpastum. Phaininda, episkyros and harpastum were played involving hands and violence and they all appear to have resembled rugby football, wrestling and volleyball more than what is recognizable as modern football. As with pre-codified mob football, the antecedent of all football codes. Non-competitive games included kemari in Japan, chuk-guk in Korea and woggabaliri in Australia, Association football in itself does not have a classical history. Notwithstanding any similarities to other games played around the world FIFA have recognised that no historical connection exists with any game played in antiquity outside Europe. The modern rules of football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to standardise the widely varying forms of football played in the public schools of England

18.
UEFA Champions League
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The UEFA Champions League is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations and contested by top-division European clubs. It is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world, the UEFA Champions League final is the most watched annual sporting event worldwide. The final of the 2012–13 tournament had the highest TV ratings to date, the pre-1992 competition was initially a straight knockout tournament open only to the champion club of each country. During the 1990s, the format was expanded, incorporating a round-robin group stage to include clubs that finished runner-up of some nations top-level league. Clubs that finish next-in-line in each top level league, having not qualified for the UEFA Champions League competition. In its present format, the UEFA Champions League begins in mid-July with three qualifying rounds and a play-off round. The 10 surviving teams enter the stage, joining 22 other teams qualified in advance. The 32 teams are drawn into eight groups of four teams, the eight group winners and eight runners-up proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final match in May. The winner of the UEFA Champions League qualifies for the UEFA Super Cup, Real Madrid is the most successful club in the competitions history, having won the tournament 11 times, including its first five seasons. Spanish clubs have accumulated the highest number of victories, followed by England, the competition has been won by 22 different clubs,12 of which have won it more than once. Since the tournament changed name and structure in 1992, no club has managed consecutive wins, Milan were the last holders to defend their title. The reigning champions are Real Madrid, who secured their title in the competition after defeating Atlético Madrid on penalties following a 1–1 draw in the 2016 final. The first pan-European tournament was the Challenge Cup, a competition between clubs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Mitropa Cup, a competition modelled after the Challenge Cup, was created in 1927, an idea of Austrian Hugo Meisl, and played between Central European clubs. In 1930, the Coupe des Nations, the first attempt to create a cup for national clubs of Europe, was played and organised by Swiss club Servette. Held in Geneva, it brought together ten champions from across the continent, the tournament was won by Újpest of Hungary. Latin European nations came together to form the Latin Cup in 1949 and it was conceived in Paris in 1955 as the European Champion Clubs Cup. The first edition of the European Cup took place during the 1955–56 season, the first European Cup match took place on 4 September 1955, and ended in a 3–3 draw between Sporting CP and Partizan. The first goal in European Cup history was scored by João Baptista Martins of Sporting CP, the inaugural final took place at the Parc des Princes between Stade de Reims and Real Madrid

19.
Ballon d'Or
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The Ballon dOr, is an annual association football award presented by France Football. Conceived by sports writer Gabriel Hanot, the Ballon dOr award honours the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous year. Originally, only European players were in contention for the Ballon dOr, in 1995 the award was expanded to all players at European clubs. Stanley Matthews of Blackpool was the winner of the Ballon dOr. Prior to 1995, the award was known in English language media as the European Footballer of the Year award. Milans George Weah, the only African recipient, became the first non-European to win the award in the year the rules of eligibility were changed, ronaldo of Internazionale became the first South American winner two years later. Three players have won the three times each, Johan Cruyff of Ajax and Barcelona, Michel Platini of Juventus and Marco van Basten of Milan. With seven awards each, Dutch and German players won the most Ballons dOr, spanish club Barcelona had the most winners. After 2011, UEFA created the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award to maintain the format of the original Ballon dOr, one-time winners are only included if they have also finished 2nd or 3rd in another year. A special Ban dOr, under the name Super Ballon dOr, was awarded to Alfredo Di Stéfano in 1989, after he surpassed Johan Cruyff, a decade later, France Football elected Pelé the Football Player of the Century after consulting their former Ballon dOr recipients. Among the 34 previous winners,30 cast their votes, Stanley Matthews, Omar Sívori and George Best abstained, and Lev Yashin had died. Each voter was allotted five votes worth up to five points, however, Di Stéfano only chose a first place, Platini a first and second place, and George Weah two players for fifth place. Pelé was named the greatest by 17 voters, receiving almost double the number of points earned by the runner-up, the original recipients, however, remain unchanged. Maradona and Pelé received honorary Ballons dOr for their services to football in 1996 and 2013, FIFA World Player of the Year FIFA Ballon dOr The Best FIFA Football Awards FIFPro World XI European Footballer of the Year. La liste complête des lauréats du Ballon dor, de 1956 à nos jours

20.
FWA Footballer of the Year
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The Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football. The award has been presented since the 1947–48 season, when the winner was Blackpool winger Stanley Matthews. The latest winner of the award as of 2015–16, is Jamie Vardy of Leicester City, eight players have won the award on more than one occasion, the most recent being Cristiano Ronaldo, who won his second award in the 2007–08 season. Thierry Henry has won the award on the most occasions, having won three times in four seasons, the winner is selected by a vote amongst the members of the Football Writers Association, which comprises around 400 football journalists based throughout England. The award was instigated at the suggestion of Charles Buchan, a professional footballer turned journalist. The award has been presented on 69 occasions as of 2015, on one occasion two players shared the award for a season. ‡ — two winners PFA Players Player of the Year SPFA Players Player of the Year SFWA Footballer of the Year PFAI Players Player of the Year Football Writers Association

21.
Irish Football Association
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The Irish Football Association is the governing body for association football in Northern Ireland. It organised the Ireland national football team which, after 1921 and it should not be confused with the Football Association of Ireland, the governing body in the Republic of Ireland. The IFA was formed in 1880 by seven football clubs mostly in the Belfast area, a meeting was called by Cliftonville of other football clubs that followed the rules set out by the Scottish Football Association. At that meeting, on 18 November of that year, seven formed the IFA. The founding members were, Alexander, Avoniel, Cliftonville, Distillery, Knock, the IFAs first decision was to form an annual challenge cup competition similar to the FA Cup and Scottish Cup competitions, called the Irish Cup. Two years later, Ireland played its first international against England, shortly after the partition of Ireland, in 1921, the Football Association of Ireland was established as a rival association to regulate the game in what was to become the Irish Free State. The immediate cause of the lay in a bitter dispute over the venue for the replay of an Irish Cup match in 1921 involving Glentoran of Belfast. When the first cup match was drawn in Belfast, because of the Irish war of independence, Shelbourne refused to comply and forfeited the Cup. Such was the anger over the issue that the Leinster Football Association broke away from the IFA, the IFAs supporters argued that the federation should be based where the game was mainly played – namely Ulster, and its principal city Belfast. Interventions by FIFA gave the FAI de jure organising rights over the 26 counties of the Republic, from the 1950s onwards, the IFA no longer claimed it was the association for the whole of Ireland. In 1960, the moved to its present location on Windsor Avenue in south Belfast. The IFA continues to have responsibility for the running of the Northern Irish national team, the Northern Ireland Womens Football Association is the IFAs womens football arm. It runs a Womens Cup, Womens League and the Northern Ireland womens national football team, in April 2014, Northern Irelands Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure Carál Ní Chuilín threatened to cut the IFAs funding unless it stopped treating womens football as an after thought

22.
Matt Busby
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Sir Alexander Matthew Matt Busby, CBE, KCSG was a Scottish football player and manager, who managed Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–71 season. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time and his managerial records and longevity at the helm of Manchester United are surpassed only by Sir Alex Ferguson. Before going into management, Busby was a player for two of Manchester Uniteds greatest rivals, Manchester City and Liverpool, during his time at City, Busby played in two FA Cup Finals, winning one of them. As a result, he took the vacant managers job at Manchester United instead, in a total of 25 years with the club, he won 13 trophies. Busby was born to Alexander and Helen Nellie Busby in a two-roomed pitmans cottage in the village of Orbiston, Bellshill. When he was born, Busbys mother was told by the doctor, Busbys father was a miner, but was called up to serve in the First World War, being killed by a snipers bullet on 23 April 1917 at the Battle of Arras. Three of his uncles were killed in France with the Cameron Highlanders, Busbys mother was left to raise Matt and his three sisters alone until her marriage to a man called Harry Matthie in 1919. Busby would often accompany his father down into the coal pits, in his 1973 autobiography Busby described himself as being as football mad as any other boy in Bellshill citing in particular the impression made on him by Alex James and Hughie Gallacher. His mother might have quashed those dreams when she applied to emigrate with Matt to the United States in the late 1920s, in the meantime, Busby got a full-time job as a collier and played football part-time for Stirlingshire side Denny Hibs. He had played only a few matches for Denny Hibs, and he made 11 more appearances for City that season, all at inside forward, scoring five goals in the process. During the 1930–31 season, City manager Peter Hodge decided that Busbys talents could be exploited from the half-back line. In his new position, Busby built up a reputation as an intelligent player, in 1930, Manchester United made an enquiry about signing Busby from their cross-town rivals, but they were unable to afford the £150 fee that City demanded. By the 1931–32 season, Busby was firmly established in the first team, indeed, Busby and Jackie Bray became such fixtures at wing-half that club captain Jimmy McMullan had to move to forward to keep his place in the team. In the 1930s Manchester City performed strongly in the FA Cup and they reached the semi-finals in 1932, and the final in 1933 before finally winning the tournament in 1934. He made his debut for the Reds just two later, on 14 March, away to Huddersfield Town, the match ended in a 1–0 Liverpool defeat. Busby opened his account a month later – his 47th-minute strike helped his team to a 2–2 draw with Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. Busby soon made the number 4 shirt his own, ousting Ted Savage in the process and he rarely missed a game over the following three seasons. This consistency earned Busby the Liverpool captaincy and he led the club with great distinction, along with Jimmy McDougall and Tom Bradshaw, Busby made up what is considered by many to be the best half-back line Liverpool had ever had

23.
Dribbling
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In sports, dribbling is maneuvering of a ball by a single player while moving in a given direction, avoiding defenders attempts to intercept the ball. Such control may be exercised with the legs, hands, stick or swimming strokes, a successful dribble will bring the ball past defenders legally and create opportunities to score. In association football, a dribble is one of the most difficult skills to master. In typical game play, players attempt to propel the ball toward their opponents goal through individual control of the ball, dribbling is often invaluable especially in the third part of a pitch or at the wings, where most attacks take place. Dribbling creates space in tight situations where the dribbler is marked, however, dribbling, if poorly mastered and used, may result in the loss of possession either when the ball is intercepted or tackled by a defender. A skilful dribbler is often hard to dispossess, unsuccessful tackles may result in a free kick situation. Early references to dribbling come from accounts of football games in England. For example, Geoffrey Chaucer offered an allusion to such ball skills in fourteenth century England, in the Canterbury Tales he uses the following line, rolleth under foot as doth a ball. Similarly at the end of the 15th century comes a Latin account of a game which was played at Cawston, Nottinghamshire. It is included in a collection of the miracles of King Henry VI of England. Although the precise date is uncertain it certainly comes from between 1481 and 1500 and this is the first account of an exclusively kicking game and the first description of dribbling, he game at which they had met for common recreation is called by some the foot-ball game. In basketball, dribbling is the method of advancing the ball by oneself. It consists of bouncing the ball on the floor continuously with one hand while walking or running down the court, james Naismiths original rules said nothing about dribbling, merely stating that passing the ball was the legal way of advancing it. Players soon developed the strategy of passing to themselves, which Naismith himself both endorsed and admired for its ingenuity, and which evolved into the dribble as it is known today, the first known team to dribble was Yale University in 1897. The dribble allows for much faster advancement and thus opportunities for scoring. It also provides an opportunity for a crafty player on the team to steal the ball in mid-bounce. A double dribble may also be called if the player tries to dribble with both hands at the same time. Dribbling should be done with finger pads and the fingers should be relaxed and spread, The wrist should be pushing the basketball, skilled ball handlers bounce the ball low to the ground, reducing the risk of a defender reaching in to steal the ball

24.
Cap (sport)
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In British sport, a cap is a metaphorical term for a players appearance in a game at international level. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in a match of association football. An early illustration of the first international match between Scotland and England in 1872 shows the Scottish players wearing cowls, and the English wearing a variety of school caps. These to be termed International Caps, the act of awarding a cap is now international and is applied to other sports. Thus, a cap is awarded for each game played and so a player who has played x games, the practice of awarding a physical cap varies from sport to sport. It may be awarded prior to a debut or, particularly for national teams. As an example, the England mens association football teams still awards physical caps, Players are awarded one cap for every match they play — unless they play in a World Cup or European Championship finals tournament. Then they are given a cap for the competition — with the names of all their opponents stitched into the fabric of the cap itself. In mens association football, the record belongs to former player Ahmed Hassan of Egypt, the first footballer to win 100 international caps was Billy Wright of Englands Wolverhampton Wanderers. Wright went on to appear 105 times for England,90 of them he obtained whilst he was a captain, however, it is a players choice to refuse to play for or retire from his or her national team. In cricket, there are two types of caps, firstly, there is the international type, as described above. Some countries also award a domestic type generally known as a county cap, the latter system is most commonly applied in English county cricket. Most counties do not automatically award caps to players on their first appearance, instead, indeed, one can play at the highest domestic level for several years, and have a quite significant career in first-class cricket, without ever winning a cap. The world record for the number of caps in Test cricket is held by Sachin Tendulkar of India, Tendulkar also holds the record for One Day Internationals, with 463 caps. In rugby union,35 players have reached 100 international caps as of 5 June 2012, Players from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland are eligible for selection to the British and Irish Lions touring squad. Lions matches are classed as full international tests, and caps are awarded, the Pacific Islanders team, composed of players from Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Niue and Cook Islands have a similar arrangement, although no players involved have so far reached 100 caps. Players still active at Test level are in bold type, the record for most caps is held by former Australian Kangaroos player & captain Darren Lockyer with 59 games and second place is former New Zealand Kiwis player & captain Ruben Wiki with 55 games. Players still active at Test level are in bold type, mens Records and Facts FIFA Players with 100+ Caps RSSSF Picture of International Football Cap National Museum of Scotland Gallery of International Caps and Honours Caps

25.
UEFA European Championship
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Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current name in 1968. Starting with the 1996 tournament, specific championships are often referred to in the form UEFA Euro, prior to entering the tournament all teams other than the host nations compete in a qualifying process. The championship winners earn the opportunity to compete in the following FIFA Confederations Cup, to date, Spain is the only team in history to have won consecutive titles, doing so in 2008 and 2012. It is the second most watched football tournament in the world after the FIFA World Cup, the Euro 2012 final was watched by a global audience of around 300 million. The most recent championship, hosted by France in 2016, was won by Portugal, in honour of Delaunay, the trophy awarded to the champions is named after him. The 1960 tournament, held in France, had four competing in the finals out of 17 that entered the competition. It was won by the Soviet Union, beating Yugoslavia 2–1 in a final in Paris. Spain withdrew from its quarter-final match against the USSR because of two political protests, of the 17 teams that entered the qualifying tournament, notable absentees were England, the Netherlands, West Germany and Italy. The hosts beat the holders, the Soviet Union, 2–1 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid. The tournament format stayed the same for the 1968 tournament, hosted, for the first and only time a match was decided on a coin toss and the final went to a replay, after the match against Yugoslavia finished 1–1. More teams entered this tournament, a testament to its burgeoning popularity, Belgium hosted the 1972 tournament, which West Germany won, beating the USSR 3–0 in the final, with goals coming from Gerd Müller and Herbert Wimmer at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels. This tournament would provide a taste of things to come, as the German side contained many of the key members of the 1974 FIFA World Cup Champions. The 1976 tournament in Yugoslavia was the last in which four teams took part in the final tournament. Czechoslovakia beat West Germany in the newly introduced penalty shootout, after seven successful conversions, Uli Hoeneß missed, leaving Czechoslovakian Antonín Panenka with the opportunity to score and win the tournament. An audacious chipped shot, described by UEFA as perhaps the most famous spot kick of all time secured the victory as Czechoslovakia won 5–3 on penalties, the competition was expanded to eight teams in the 1980 tournament, again hosted by Italy. It involved a stage, with the winners of the groups going on to contest the final. West Germany won their second European title by beating Belgium 2–1, Horst Hrubesch scored early in the first half before René Vandereycken equalised for Belgium with a penalty in the second half. With two minutes remaining, Hrubesch headed the winner for West Germany from a Karl-Heinz Rummenigge corner, the format also changed, with the top two teams in each group going through to a semi-final stage, instead of the winners of each group going straight into the final

26.
FIFA World Cup
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The championship has been awarded every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of the Second World War. The current champion is Germany, which won its title at the 2014 tournament in Brazil. 32 teams, including the qualifying host nation, compete in the tournament phase for the title at venues within the host nation over a period of about a month. The 20 World Cup tournaments have been won by eight different national teams, Brazil have won five times, and they are the only team to have played in every tournament. The worlds first international match was a challenge match played in Glasgow in 1872 between Scotland and England, which ended in a 0–0 draw. The first international tournament, the edition of the British Home Championship. After FIFA was founded in 1904, it tried to arrange an international football tournament between nations outside the Olympic framework in Switzerland in 1906 and these were very early days for international football, and the official history of FIFA describes the competition as having been a failure. At the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, football became an official competition, planned by The Football Association, Englands football governing body, the event was for amateur players only and was regarded suspiciously as a show rather than a competition. Great Britain won the gold medals and they repeated the feat in 1912 in Stockholm. With the Olympic event continuing to be contested only between teams, Sir Thomas Lipton organised the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy tournament in Turin in 1909. The Lipton tournament was a championship between clubs from different nations, each one of which represented an entire nation. Lipton invited West Auckland, a side from County Durham. West Auckland won the tournament and returned in 1911 to successfully defend their title, in 1914, FIFA agreed to recognise the Olympic tournament as a world football championship for amateurs, and took responsibility for managing the event. This paved the way for the worlds first intercontinental football competition, at the 1920 Summer Olympics, contested by Egypt and 13 European teams, Uruguay won the next two Olympic football tournaments in 1924 and 1928. Those were also the first two world championships, as 1924 was the start of FIFAs professional era. On 28 May 1928, the FIFA Congress in Amsterdam decided to stage a championship itself. With Uruguay now two-time official football world champions and to celebrate their centenary of independence in 1930, indeed, no European country pledged to send a team until two months before the start of the competition. Rimet eventually persuaded teams from Belgium, France, Romania, in total,13 nations took part, seven from South America, four from Europe and two from North America

27.
Fifth Beatle
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The fifth Beatle claims first appeared in the press immediately upon the bands sensational rise to global fame in 1963–64 as the most famous quartet in pop culture. Lennon was critical of individuals who claimed credit for the Beatles success, including the individual Beatles themselves, saying in his 1970 interview with Jann Wenner, Brian Epstein wasn’t the Beatles, neither is Dick James. Lennon was also disparaging of their music producer George Martins importance, McCartney stated in a 1997 BBC interview, If anyone was the fifth Beatle, it was Brian Epstein. In 2016, however, McCartney wrote that If anyone earned the title of the fifth Beatle it was George, Harrison stated at the Beatles 1988 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that there were only two fifth Beatles, Derek Taylor and Neil Aspinall. The term is not used to indicate the chronology of band members joining the group, Pete Best joined Lennon, McCartney, Stuart Sutcliffe and Harrison on the eve of their Hamburg sojourn, the five using the monikers, The Silver Beetles and The Silver Beatles. Stuart Sutcliffe has been called the fifth Beatle, the original bassist of the five-member Beatles, he played with the band primarily during their days as a club act in Hamburg, Germany. When the band returned to Liverpool in 1961, Sutcliffe remained behind in Hamburg and he died of a brain haemorrhage shortly thereafter. Instead of replacing him with a new member, McCartney changed from guitar to bass. Pete Best has been called the fifth Beatle, the original drummer of the Beatles, he played with the band during their time as a club act, in both Liverpool and Hamburg, Germany. The band during this period consisted of Best, bassist Stuart Sutcliffe, and guitarists McCartney, Harrison. Best continued to perform with the band until mid-August 1962, when he was let go, after the Beatles finalized the lineup in mid-August 1962, two drummers worked beside, or substituted for regular band member, Ringo Starr. Andy White played drums on The Beatles U. S. pressing of Love Me Do, ron Richards, assistant producer to George Martin, was in charge of recording on 11 September 1962. In June, the band had recorded Love Me Do with Best, then a time in early September with brand new member Starr. Richards brought experienced session drummer White in for drums on this recording, White and Starr also both played percussion on P. S. I Love You during this session, with White on drums, jimmie Nicol played drums for the first five shows of The Beatles 1964 world tour. Starr became ill and the part of the tour was almost cancelled. Instead of cancelling, the Beatles manager Brian Epstein hired Nicol to stand in until Starr recovered, Nicol played with the band in early June, in Denmark, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and Australia. Nicol made the most of his time, signing autographs and giving interviews, Starr rejoined the band on 14 June, in Melbourne

28.
Pundit
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A pundit is a person who offers to mass media his or her opinion or commentary on a particular subject area on which he or she is knowledgeable, or considered a scholar in said area. The term has been applied to popular media personalities. In certain cases, it may be used in a manner as well. The term originates from the Sanskrit term pandit, meaning knowledge owner, from at least the early 19th century, a Pundit of the Supreme Court in Colonial India was an officer of the judiciary who advised British judges on questions of Hindu law. In Anglo-Indian use, pundit also referred to a native of India who was trained and employed by the British to survey inaccessible regions beyond the British frontier, one of the problems related to expertise is the rapid amount of specialisation and knowledge, especially strong in the American universities. While in the 1960s, political science had just 5 subdisciplines, a pundit now combines the roles of a public intellectual and has a certain expertise as a media practitioner. Pundits may be regarded as shallow and superficial from a university perspective. The intellectual dimension might and should be challenged, but they play an increasing role in disseminating ideas and views in an accessible way to the public. From Joffes view, Karl Marx in Europe and e. g. in the US, Mark Twain were early, the derogatory use as a talking head has been entered in the Urban Dictionary. Punditry has become a popular vehicle in nightly newscasts on American cable news networks. A rise of partisanship among popular pundits began with Bill OReilly of Fox News Channel and his opinion-oriented format led him to ratings success and has led others, including Bill Maher, Keith Olbermann, and Nancy Grace to express their opinions on matters on their own programs. At the same time, many people who appear as pundits are recognized for having serious academic, examples are pundits Paul Krugman, who received a Nobel Prize in Economics, and Stephen Biddle, who received U. S. Army Superior Civilian Service Medals in 2003 and 2006. In sports commentating, a pundit or color commentator may be partnered with an announcer who will describe the action while asking the pundit for analysis. Alternatively, pundits may be asked for their opinions during breaks in the play, color commentator Columnist Maven Opinion leader Pundette Media related to Pundit at Wikimedia Commons

29.
Calum Best
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Calum Milan Best is a British-American model and reality television participant. Best was born in San Jose, California, the son of English model Angie Best, and George Best and he was raised in Los Angeles, where he became a model in his mid-teens. His father, George Best, was a football legend, Calum Best is a patron of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics, a UK charity providing support to children affected by a parents drinking. He moved to the UK when he was 21, Best has taken part in the reality TV shows Fool Around With on E4 and The Match on Sky One. In 2005 and 2006 he was featured in ITVs Celebrity Love Island, around this time he played himself in the final episode of ITVs Footballers Wives. In late 2006, Best launched a fragrance called Calum. I chose the smell, I chose the bottle, I chose the packaging, the whole thing, Best went on to launch his second fragrance, called Best. After that success, Jigsaw ESL also manufactured his third fragrance called Day, in 2008, Best appeared on RTÉs Livin With Lucy. Later that year, he featured in MTVs Totally Calum Best, the show detailed Bests attempts to remain celibate for fifty days. In 2009, he appeared as a guest judge in reality television show Paris Hiltons British Best Friend, in November 2009, he presented the BBC TV Documentary Brought up By Booze, A Children in Need Special, which highlighted the plight of children brought up by alcoholic parents. Best drew upon his relationship with his own father in the making of the programme, in 2010, Best appeared in Channel 4s Come Dine With Me, where he dined with Janice Dickinson, Samantha Fox and presenter Jeff Brazier. Best filled in a spot for Ian Wright on Live from Studio Five on January 8,2010, on October 2,2010, Best appeared as a celebrity on All Star Family Fortunes along with Denise Welch, who was on the opposing team. Calum hosted via webcam an Online bingo session at Bingocams UK on April 20,2012, in 2012, he won Celebrity Bainisteoir, managing Moy Davitts of Mayo. In January 2015, he took part in the Channel 5 reality series Celebrity Big Brother, in 2016, Best was a member of the cast of the E. series Famously Single, which follows eight single celebrities in their search for love. On January 3,2017, he returned to compete on the series of Celebrity Big Brother in which he finished in seventh place. Best dated Lindsay Lohan and Georgia Salpa and he was also a member and regular at the London nightclub Chinawhite. Calum Best at the Internet Movie Database

30.
World Soccer (magazine)
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World Soccer is an English language football magazine published by IPC Media. The magazine was established in 1960 and it specialises in the international football scene. Its regular contributing writers include Brian Glanville, Sid Lowe and Tim Vickery, World Soccer is a member of the European Sports Magazines, an umbrella group of similar magazines printed in other languages. Other members include A Bola, Don Balón, Kicker, La Gazzetta dello Sport and Sport Express, the members of this group elect a European Team of the Month and a European Team of the Year. Since 1982, World Soccer has also organised Player of the Year, Manager of the Year, in 2005 awards for the best Young Player of the Year and Referee of the Year were also introduced. In the December 1999 issue of World Soccer, a poll listing the 100 greatest football players of the 20th century was published. The magazine marked its 50th anniversary in 2010 with a series of articles looking back on the past 50 years in international soccer, every expert could choose five managers whom they considered the greatest

31.
IFFHS
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The International Federation of Football History & Statistics is an organization that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded on 27 March 1984 in Leipzig by Dr. Alfredo Pöge with the blessings of general secretary of the FIFA at the time, the IFFHS was based at Al-Muroor Street 147, Abu Dhabi for some time but, in 2010, relocated to Bonn, Germany. During its early stages, and until 2002, the IFFHS concentrated on publishing the quarterly magazines Fußball-Weltzeitschrift, Libero spezial deutsch and Libero international. When these had to be discontinued for reasons which were not officially told, since 1991, the entity has produced a monthly Club World Ranking. The ranking takes into consideration the results of twelve months of continental and intercontinental competitions, national league matches and the most important national cup. All countries are rated at four levels based upon the national league performance—clubs in the highest level leagues receive 4 points for each match won,2 for a draw and 0 for a defeat. Level 2 is assigned 3 pts.1.5 and 0, in continental competitions, all clubs receive the same number of points at all stages regardless of the performance level of their leagues. However, the UEFA Champions League and the Copa Libertadores yield more points than UEFA Europa League and Copa Sudamericana, the point assignment system is still lower for the AFC, CAF, CONCACAF and OFC continental tournaments. Competitions between two continents are evaluated depending upon their importance, competitions not organized by a continental confederation, or any intercontinental events not recognized by FIFA, are not taken into consideration. In 2009, the IFFHS released the results of a study which determined the best continental clubs of the 20th century. Based on this study series, the below six clubs were named as continental clubs of the century by the IFFHS between 10 September and 13 October 2009. These clubs were awarded with a trophy and a certificate during the World Football Gala celebrated at Fulham. The award is awarded every January at the World Football Gala, spains Xavi has won the award a record four consecutive times, while compatriot Andrés Iniesta and Argentinian Lionel Messi have won the award twice. Barcelona is the club with the most wins, with eight in total, karl Lennartz, a sports historian and professor at the University of Cologne, Germany, called the organization obscure, describing it as a one man show of its chairman Alfredo Pöge. The IFFHS rankings and their significance have been a matter of criticism, furthermore, it has been stated that the rankings of the IFFHS are not official and the titles they bear serve merely for publicity. Official website Official website Newly launched website Annual Awards

32.
FIFA Player of the Century
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FIFA Player of the Century was a one-off award created by FIFA to decide the greatest football player of the 20th century. Diego Maradona and Pele were joint winners of the award, Maradona won the award based on the Internet poll, while Pelé won the award based on votes from FIFA officials, journalists and coaches. Since 1991, FIFA have had awards for FIFA World Player of the Year and this was to be decided by votes on their official website, their official magazine and a grand jury. Maradona won the Internet-based poll by wide margins, garnering 53. 6% of the votes against 18. 53% for Pelé. 75% of the vote, thus both were joint winners of the award. The results of FIFAs internet Poll were as follows, This part of the award was decided by the FIFA Magazine readers vote, FIFA Centennial Player and Football Personality. IFFHS gave out an award decided by votes which was conducted with the participation of journalists and former players

33.
BBC Sports Personality of the Year
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The BBC Sports Personality of the Year is an awards ceremony that takes place annually in December. Devised by Paul Fox in 1954, it consisted of just one. Several new awards have been introduced, and currently eight awards are presented, the first awards to be added were the Team of the Year and Overseas Personality awards, which were introduced in 1960. A Lifetime Achievement Award was first given in 1995 and again in 1996, in 1999, three more awards were introduced, the Helen Rollason Award, the Coach Award, and the Newcomer Award, which was renamed to Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2001. The newest is the Unsung Hero Award, first presented in 2003, in 2003, the 50th anniversary of the show was marked by a five-part series on BBC One called Simply The Best – Sports Personality. It was presented by Gary Lineker and formed part of a vote to determine a special Golden Sports Personality of the Year. That year Steve Rider and Martyn Smith wrote a book reflecting on the 50-year history of the award, the event was held outside London for the first time in 2006, when tickets were made available to the public. The trophy for the award is a silver-plated four-turret lens camera. All of the BBC local regions hold their own independent award ceremonies, other awards have been presented in the past. Sebastian Coe picked up a Special Gold Award in 2005 for his work in helping Britain obtain the right to host the 2012 Olympics. In 2003, to fifty years of Sports Personality of the Year. Rower Steve Redgrave was voted BBC Golden Sports Personality of the Year, the BBCs Sports Personality of the Year was created by Paul Fox, who came up with the idea while he was editor of the magazine show Sportsview. The first award ceremony took place in 1954 as part of Sportsview, held at the Savoy Hotel on 30 December 1954, the show lasted 45 minutes. It consisted of one award for the sportsperson judged by the public to have achieved the most that year, voting was by postcard, and rules presented in a Radio Times article stipulated that nominations were restricted to athletes who had featured on the Sportsview programme since April. For the inaugural BBC Sportsperson of the Year award,14,517 votes were cast, the following year the show was renamed Sports Review of the Year and given a longer duration of 75 minutes. In 1960 Dimmock presented the show, and introduced two new awards, the Team of the Year award and the Overseas Personality award, won by the Cooper Car Company, David Coleman joined the show the following year and remained a co-presenter until 1983. Swimmer Anita Lonsbrough became the first female recipient of the award in 1962. Frank Bough took over as presenter in 1964 and presented Sports Review for 18 years, in 1969, a new Manager of the Year award was given to Don Revie for his achievements with Leeds United, the only occasion it was presented

34.
FIFA 100
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The FIFA100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelés choice of the greatest living footballers. The list contains 123 professional male and 2 female players, at the time the FIFA100 was selected,50 of the players were still active, with the remaining 75 retired from the game. Some football observers have questioned the methodology of the list. David Mellor, politician turned football pundit, wrote in his column in the Evening Standard that he felt the selections were politically motivated rather than made on purely footballing grounds and he suggested that the selections looked as if they came from the pen of Sepp Blatter rather than Pelé. As evidence for this, Mellor noted the geographical spread of the selected players. Such assertions were also forwarded by BBC columnist Tim Vickery, one of Pelés old team-mates, the former Brazil midfielder Gérson, reacted to his omission from the FIFA100 by tearing up a copy of the list on a Brazilian television programme. Marco van Basten and Uwe Seeler refused to part in the project on a point of principle. Following is the list of the FIFA100 greatest living footballers as nominated by Pelé, Players active at the time of announcement are marked by. Players who are active are in italics. World Soccers Greatest Players of the 20th Century World Team of the 20th Century The FIFA100

35.
George Best Belfast City Airport
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George Best Belfast City Airport is a single-runway airport in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Situated adjacent to the Port of Belfast it is 3 mi from Belfast City Centre and it shares the site with the Short Brothers/Bombardier aircraft manufacturing facility. The airport began operations in 1983. The airport was known as Belfast City Airport until it was renamed in 2006 in memory of George Best. The airport handled over 2.7 million passengers in 2010, the airport is a major base for Flybe, which began operations at the airport in 1993 and is now the largest operator at Belfast City. The airport has a CAA public use aerodrome licence that allows flights for the transport of passengers or for flying instruction. Ground handling is provided by Swissport and Menzies Aviation, in 2012 Aer Lingus opened a base at the airport transferring operations from Belfast International Airport. Sydenham Airport was established by Shorts beside its Belfast factory at Sydenham in 1937 and this became Belfasts main civilian airport from 1938 to 1939. The airfield was requisitioned by the Royal Navy during the Second World War, RAF Nutts Corner then became Belfasts main airport. The Sydenham airfield continued to be used for military purposes until the 1970s, including use by the Fleet Air Arm as an aircraft storage unit. In 1983, following interest from airlines and customers, the airfield was opened for commercial flights as Belfast Harbour Airport, following major capital investment Bombardier sold the airport in 2003 for £35 million to the Spanish company Ferrovial, the owner of BAA Airports. Ferrovial re-sold the airport in September 2008 for £132.5 million to ABN Amro Global Infrastructure Fund, in March 2006, it was announced that the airport would be renamed in memory of Northern Irish footballer George Best. The new name, George Best Belfast City Airport, and signage were revealed at the ceremony attended by Bests family and friends on 22 May 2006. The renaming of the airport caused controversy, with articles in local and national print media highlighting the mixed feelings of Belfast residents. Also in March 2006 Flybe announced that it would be naming its Belfast City – Manchester service after the footballer, on 30 October 2007, Ryanair established its 23rd base at the airport. The newest route was between Belfast and London Stansted, following Air Berlins announcement that it would discontinue the route on 31 October 2007, on 31 August 2010, Ryanair announced it would close its Belfast City base, meaning all Ryanair services were lost from 31 October 2010. Five routes and 800,000 passengers per annum will be lost at the airport as a result, the closure of the base was due to the planned runway extension being delayed for a further two years. The airline had stated it would fly to European destinations from the airport if the runway was extended, passenger numbers increased by 4. 5% from 2,621,763 in 2009 to 2,740,341 in 2010, the highest total on record at the airport

36.
BBC
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The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. It is headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, the BBC is the worlds oldest national broadcasting organisation and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees. It employs over 20,950 staff in total,16,672 of whom are in public sector broadcasting, the total number of staff is 35,402 when part-time, flexible, and fixed contract staff are included. The BBC is established under a Royal Charter and operates under its Agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The fee is set by the British Government, agreed by Parliament, and used to fund the BBCs radio, TV, britains first live public broadcast from the Marconi factory in Chelmsford took place in June 1920. It was sponsored by the Daily Mails Lord Northcliffe and featured the famous Australian Soprano Dame Nellie Melba, the Melba broadcast caught the peoples imagination and marked a turning point in the British publics attitude to radio. However, this public enthusiasm was not shared in official circles where such broadcasts were held to interfere with important military and civil communications. By late 1920, pressure from these quarters and uneasiness among the staff of the licensing authority, the General Post Office, was sufficient to lead to a ban on further Chelmsford broadcasts. But by 1922, the GPO had received nearly 100 broadcast licence requests, John Reith, a Scottish Calvinist, was appointed its General Manager in December 1922 a few weeks after the company made its first official broadcast. The company was to be financed by a royalty on the sale of BBC wireless receiving sets from approved manufacturers, to this day, the BBC aims to follow the Reithian directive to inform, educate and entertain. The financial arrangements soon proved inadequate, set sales were disappointing as amateurs made their own receivers and listeners bought rival unlicensed sets. By mid-1923, discussions between the GPO and the BBC had become deadlocked and the Postmaster-General commissioned a review of broadcasting by the Sykes Committee and this was to be followed by a simple 10 shillings licence fee with no royalty once the wireless manufactures protection expired. The BBCs broadcasting monopoly was made explicit for the duration of its current broadcast licence, the BBC was also banned from presenting news bulletins before 19.00, and required to source all news from external wire services. Mid-1925 found the future of broadcasting under further consideration, this time by the Crawford committee, by now the BBC under Reiths leadership had forged a consensus favouring a continuation of the unified broadcasting service, but more money was still required to finance rapid expansion. Wireless manufacturers were anxious to exit the loss making consortium with Reith keen that the BBC be seen as a service rather than a commercial enterprise. The recommendations of the Crawford Committee were published in March the following year and were still under consideration by the GPO when the 1926 general strike broke out in May. The strike temporarily interrupted newspaper production and with restrictions on news bulletins waived the BBC suddenly became the source of news for the duration of the crisis. The crisis placed the BBC in a delicate position, the Government was divided on how to handle the BBC but ended up trusting Reith, whose opposition to the strike mirrored the PMs own